Posted on 07/03/2003 12:07:03 PM PDT by yonif
American poet Amiri Baraka, who was stripped of his title of New Jersey's poet laureate for writing a poem saying Israel had advance knowledge of the September 11, 2001 terror attacks, was invited to the Jerusalem Foundation's Mishkenot Sha'ananim center to take part in this fall's International Poets Festival.
Baraka set off a furor last year with his poem "Somebody Blew Up America," which states that Israel was involved in the terror attacks. It includes the lines: "Who knew the World Trade Center was gonna get bombed/Who told 4,000 Israeli workers at the Twin Towers to stay home that day?/Why did Sharon stay away?"
Jerusalem Foundation spokesman Amnon Be'eri said Wednesday night that Baraka had been invited by Natan Zach, the Israeli director of the International Poets Festival, but was apparently rebuffed.
Be'eri said that Zach was "unaware" of any Baraka poem that linked Israel with the 9/11 attacks.
The spokesman for the Jerusalem Foundation said that "if it becomes clear that there is a grain of truth to what you are saying, then the foundation will cut off all contact whatsoever with the poet."
The bizarre Israeli connection to the infamous poet emerged just as New Jersey state lawmakers voted to eliminate the position of poet laureate altogether, after it became clear that New Jersey law did not give the governor or the state legislature the power to fire Baraka.
He was named poet laureate last July.
Immediately after the poem was read, Gov. James E. McGreevey, like outraged Jewish leaders, called for the poet's resignation, and froze Baraka's $10,000 stipend. As a last resort, when it emerged that he could not fire Baraka, and Baraka refused to resign, McGreevey urged the state legislature to abolish the post, a move that it completed in Trenton on Tuesday.
The Assembly approved a bill that passed the Senate in January. McGreevey intends to sign the bill, according to a spokesman.
After Tuesday's vote, Baraka said he would sue the state for violating his First Amendment rights, and for slander.
"Very few of those people have even read that poem," Baraka said. "I can't have a differing opinion about a foreign state?"
Democratic Assembly woman Linda Greenstein, a sponsor of the bill, said Baraka stepped over the line. "Baraka certainly has the right to write his poetry," she said. "But Baraka used the position as a jumping off point for his own political motives. All under the umbrella of his position as New Jersey's poet laureate."
Democratic Assemblyman William Payne disagreed, arguing that while Baraka's views should be condemned, the position of poet laureate should not be abolished.
"This legislation flies in the face of New Jersey being an enlightened state," Payne said. "This is a position that is very, very valuable." AP contributed to this report.
Their proof... over 4,000 Israelis did not go to work.
You can't even reason with them... they are adamant.
Too many joy rides on the black helicoptor for my taste.
Some?!?
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